SUMMARY: Researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis have developed a "field guide" for planet hunters searching for other Earths. They modeled the chemistry of silicate vapour and steam rich environments, similar to the early stages when an Earthlike planet is forming. During this stage, the planet is covered with a magma ocean which vapourises. This is a very distinct moment in the lifetime of a planet, and should be detectable because silicon monoxide gas is easy to see in infrared and radio wavelengths.

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If confirmed by observations, this would be a very nice tool to take a quick survey of how many earth-like planets are forming in a given stellar nursery. This can then be extrapolated to determine how many of them are out there in the galaxy.

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Quid hoc ad aeternitatum
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